Turai
Behind me close the polished gates, at my side a sword to sate. Around me stand my brothers true, to fight and fight as heroes do. To defend our home from every foe, to return with pride or laid down low. No matter what we go to face, to this spot our souls will race.'' Oh Turai! Oh Turai! Standing strong as I say goodbye, Oh Turai! Oh Turai! Gleam ever on 'till day I die, 'Neath burning suns or heavy boughs, on decks of ships or fields well plowed, with sword and spear and shield of steel, for Turai I'll never kneel. Come my brothers forth once more, for home and country to the fore. And if in strange lands I fall, 'gainst warriors great or sorceror's scrawl, to these gates my soul will come, to glimpse once more before I'm done. '' ''Oh Turai! Oh Turai! Stand ever strong as I say goodbye, Oh Turai! Oh Turai! Gleaming now as day nears done. ''Do not weep my love, my wife, nor fathers old nor children spry, know I go with a smile, to live, to die, for Turai. - Old Turaian soldier's song, often used as an anthem and drinking song by the Ember Band. Turai is one of the largest cities in the Tyrant Thrones, and the once-great capital of Old Turai, the empire that encompassed the region. A font of trade, law and culture, Turai now stands a carcass of its former glory, as corrupt and dangerous as its neighboring cities. Ruled by a paranoid nobility claiming descent from Old Turai, the city creaks under the iron rule of the King and his ministers, who try ever more brutally to root out the Ember Band. Due to the incessant corruption and greed of his enforcers, however, trade still flows through the capital, bringing goods from across Vhir to the hungry pockets of warlords and slavers. Even as its territory dwindles and pirates roam its Isles, the demands of the old capital necessitate an unending stream of food, weapons, slaves and coin. As a mercenary the squares and plazas are markets themselves, always full of frightened landlords or fearful traders in need of steel. For merchants, the wealth of the capital outweighs its dangers, even as bribes and thefts strip the profits. As a member of the Ember Band however, the city stands as a temple defiled, its rulers pretenders, its territory overrun and its population as repressed as they are quick to repress others. History Rise of Turai By 160 of Pelor's Glory (778 years prior to the Divine Era), Turai had become a large, if rivaled city in the Yantir region. Making good use of the fertile lands around the Garden Lakes, Turai's population grew and its people prospered. It would take many successive generations to begin to influence the growing cities around it, however. By 120 LN (600 years prior to the Dawn of Exarchs), Turai had sealed favourable alliances with cities such as Ossa, Saphina, Chosra and Barsan, extending its influence far to the south. It had also claimed hegemony over much of the Crimson isles, expanding its navy significantly and with it, the volume of trade it enjoyed. Jewel of Vhir By 200 LN, Turai was established as the preeminent city in western Vhir. Fed by vast fields both in its hinterland and in the Satrapy of Sekelbeh, Turai ruled over a vast and prosperous region, the envy of its neighbours. Arts and culture flourished, civil liberties were expanded and the government was reformed. The borders were secured by a strong standing army and a phase of intense fortress-building, culminating in the two great fortifications of Gandara and Jedur, to protect Turai at sea and from the desert tribes to the east. As artists and intellectuals flocked to the Jewel of Vhir, the study of magic and psionics swelled in the city. Fearful not only of the power of the sorcerors, but also their intent, the Turaian leadership decided to embrace the study of the mystic arts by forming the Academy of Jishol, constructed far to the north. Initially, the flow of knowledge, supplies and expertise between Jishol and Turai was a major artery of the empire's cultural riches, and a testament to the wise governance of the mystics. Later however, Jishol would sink deep into isolation, and finally into madness. Decline Between 500 and 620 LN, the city and government of Turai fell into decline. Although trade and wealth grew, along with population, the security that had been hard fought grew lax. Lawlessness and corruption festered in bulging slum districts, while intrigues of the court hampered any real reform. The council of ministers, originally set up to check the King's power and represent the people, became more interested in personal estates and bribes than their duties, rarely appearing together in court as they had in the past. The vassal states and outlying cities of Sekelbeh and Ossa grew more independent, leveraging greater costs on the capital for their services. The armies grew restless, with no threats in sight and pay beginning to decline, many turned to piracy or mercenary work. Finally, a malaise of paranoia and madness gripped the royal family, which saw heir after heir succumbing to the vices of lust, cruelty and delusion. Without a strong leader to break the webs of conspiracy and disorder, the administration sank into a mire, dragging the once glorious empire with it. Current Events Ruled by King Junun, a boy-king propped up a council of ambitious ministers, the city of Turai has fallen into further decline, its palaces shut to all but the richest, its slums growing with the sick and hungry. Districts fall to plagues while markets are infested with thieves and corrupt guards. The Ember Band strikes monthly against the administration, while daily houses are sacked and citizens arrested for crimes presumed or fabricated. Thousands of merchants still weave through the city, preying on the rich or desperate, but even the wealth of Turai is dimming in the face of such anarchy and abuse of power. Population breakdown Total Population: '''120'000 '''Percentage in Slavery: '''35% '''Races: * Humans - 60% * Tieflings - 10% * Half-Orcs - 10% * Dragonborn - 10% * Ratfolk - 7% * Catfolk - 3% Category:Settlement Category:Yantir Category:Turai